Steppin Out completes Meadows series sweep

She had to work hard to do it, but Steppin Out completed her sweep of the Unefoisdansmavie Trot for 3-year-old fillies by capturing Wednesday’s $34,250 championship leg at The Meadows.

Her first challenge came down the backside when she moved uncovered from third for Dan Rawlings after the stubborn leader, Glide By Shooting. Steppin Out inched ahead around the final turn but then had to deal with the threat of Silent Opera K, who loomed large on her bumper. Steppin Out dug in and downed Silent Opera K by a head in 1:57.4, with Glams K third.

What wasn’t known at the time was that Steppin Out was battling still another challenge — pulmonary bleeding, which was detected by post-race scoping. Chas Norris, who conditions the daughter of Yankee Glide-Quantum Darling for Glat Kosher Racing, said the filly will be treated with Lasix, given some time off and pointed to the Pennsylvania Stallions series.

"She’s the perfect horse to train,” Norris said. "She runs in just a little bit, Dan says, but he really has no complaints about it. He had to straighten her out a little bit in the stretch. She was all I could ask for in this series — two legs and the final. That’s what you look for when you enter these things.”

In the $24,800 Filly & Mare Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap Trot, Unefoisdansmavie finally accomplished what she’d failed to do in her last two starts — win a race on the same card as the series named for her. She hustled to the front for Dave Palone, worked out comfortable fractions and scored in 1:56. The pocket-sitting Mistress Valentine was a length back in second while Lady Crown earned show.

Ron Burke trains Unefoisdansmavie, a 7-year-old Revenue S-Peace To The World mare who soared over $400,000 in career earnings, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Jack Piatt III. It was one of three wins on the 15-race card for Palone.